Bedfont is a suburb in the
London Borough of Hounslow
The London Borough of Hounslow () is a London borough in West London, England, forming part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 when three smaller borough councils (forming part of the former Middlesex County Council area) amalgamated under ...
, approximately west of
Charing Cross
Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...
. Originally a distinct village, Bedfont has a large central
conservation area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
around Bedfont Green. The majority of the housing was built at a time of an emerging economy of aviation and distribution-related businesses. The area was formerly part of the
Staines Rural District
Staines Rural District was a rural district of Middlesex in England from 1894 to 1930.
It was created in 1894 replacing the 1875-created Staines rural sanitary district. It co-governed with varying degrees of input from the civil parish counci ...
and was one of the formerly agricultural areas chosen for significant low-rise
social housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...
, planned and built in the mid 20th century.
Bedfont straddles Staines Road (A315) and traditionally includes North Feltham north of Staines Road – a mainly commercial area – and the neighbourhood of
Hatton
Hatton may refer to:
Places Canada
* Hatton, Saskatchewan
England
* Hatton, Cheshire West and Chester, a former civil parish
* Hatton, Derbyshire
* Hatton, Lincolnshire
* Hatton, London, in the London Borough of Hounslow
* Hatton, Shropshire, a ...
. The heart of the area has many parks and the south-eastern streets and Cage Park are contiguous with the larger district of
Feltham
Feltham () is a town in West London, England, from Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it became part of the London Borough of Hounslow in 1965. The parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston has been held by Labour Party MPs ...
. East is the
River Crane around which are a few remaining parts of
Hounslow Heath
Hounslow Heath is a local nature reserve in the London Borough of Hounslow and at a point borders Richmond upon Thames. The public open space, which covers , is all that remains of the historic Hounslow Heath which covered more than . The prese ...
.
The nearest railway station is at
Feltham
Feltham () is a town in West London, England, from Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it became part of the London Borough of Hounslow in 1965. The parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston has been held by Labour Party MPs ...
and the area adjoins the
Hatton Cross Underground station on the
Piccadilly line
The Piccadilly line is a deep-level London Underground line running from the north to the west of London. It has two branches, which split at Acton Town, and serves 53 stations. The line serves Heathrow Airport, and some of its stations are n ...
.
Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...
is to the north.
History
Etymology
A typical list of evolving
Middle English orthography
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...
follows the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
's "Bedefunde" (1086). All forms confirm two components, the first unclear and the latter certain (in meaning). In the most orthodox
Old English language
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th cen ...
(Old English), a tongue relatively little-written and standardised, ''funta'' or ''funde'' means spring or small pool.
*''Bed'' could be an intuitive idea of the village water source lying in a
bed
A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax.
Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many b ...
. All of the land is
gravel terraces which rise gently to the north and fall to the south with a rare natural spring and small ponds, some medieval, all removed near the centre.
*''Bed'' is close to at least one known proper name (noun),
Bede
Bede ( ; ang, Bǣda , ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, The Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable ( la, Beda Venerabilis), was an English monk at the monastery of St Peter and its companion monastery of St Paul in the Kingdom o ...
. The natural spring here suggests an Anglo-Saxon proper village pre-dating the 10th century monastic cult of Bede. However, Bed has a standard personal tribe/following '-ing' prefix in
Beddington
Beddington is a suburban settlement in the London Borough of Sutton on the boundary with the London Borough of Croydon. Beddington is formed from a village of the same name which until early the 20th century still included land which became t ...
a dozen miles to the east.
*An obscure, longer Germanic noun is ''Byden'', a type of drinking-vessel, a potential root.
Origins and Medieval Bedfont
Excavations before the building of
Heathrow
Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others bei ...
's Terminal 5 site ( north-west) found evidence of settlement during the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
,
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
and Roman periods, suggesting there may have been people living in and around the Bedfont area during these periods. However much of the parish soil was unworkable by the till, a large stony heath after which Hatton is named,
Hounslow Heath
Hounslow Heath is a local nature reserve in the London Borough of Hounslow and at a point borders Richmond upon Thames. The public open space, which covers , is all that remains of the historic Hounslow Heath which covered more than . The prese ...
, some turned into Bedfont Powder Mills by the 19th century in North Feltham and later industry/storage buildings.
The obsolete locality name of West Bedfont mainly lies around Long Lane in the parish (area) of neighbouring
Stanwell
Stanwell is a village close to two of the three main towns in the Borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, about west of central London. A small corner of its land is vital industrial land serving Heathrow Airport – most of the rest is residential ...
. It once had a small chapel. Its casting off from the rest of the parish and new allegiance to Stanwell church occurred at some point in its descent of the manor in the 12th century. Larger East Bedfont, on the Greater London side of the boundary, has fallen again a little in size and developed into modern-day Bedfont: in the early 20th century some land was given over to
Ashford Ashford may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Ashford, New South Wales
*Ashford, South Australia
*Electoral district of Ashford, South Australia
Ireland
*Ashford, County Wicklow
*Ashford Castle, County Galway
United Kingdom
* Ashford, Kent, a town
** ...
. Later a swathe of Hatton's extent (its manor and its devolved estates) became
North Feltham
Feltham () is a town in West London, England, from Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it became part of the London Borough of Hounslow in 1965. The parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston has been held by Labour Party MPs ...
and a similar swathe the east of Heathrow airport. Hatton remains part of Bedfont in the Anglican community
The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin is on the edge of the village green and is the oldest surviving church in the
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle Ag ...
dating from around 1150. Its Norman chancel, chancel arch and south doorway have survived the centuries, as have medieval wall paintings from the mid 13th century, which were uncovered in 1865.
Manors
The Domesday Book has an entry stating that the manors of Bedfont, Hatton and Stanwell were all held by William Fitz Other. From the early 14th century the Manor of East Bedfont was held by the Trinitarian Priory of Hounslow, before being taken by the Crown during the reformation. The Berkeley family of Cranford then held the manor before selling it to the
Earl of Northumberland
The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...
in 1656. Pates Manor, architecturally a Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
also in Bedfont, was held by the Page family, a branch of the Pages of
Harrow on the Hill
Harrow on the Hill is a locality and historic village in the borough of Harrow in Greater London, England. The name refers to Harrow Hill, ,Mills, A., ''Dictionary of London Place Names'', (2001) and is located some half a mile south of the mod ...
.
Col. John Page, a member of the family, became a wealthy
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
merchant who served on the colonial council.
The growth of the town and industrialisation
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
licensed the Hounslow Sword Mill in 1630 on the banks of the
Duke of Northumberland's River
The Duke of Northumberland's River or D. O. N. River consists of separate upper and lower artificial watercourses in west London, United Kingdom. The older name Isleworth Mill Stream/River more accurately describes the economic motivation behi ...
. The sword smiths, who came from
Solingen
Solingen (; li, Solich) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located some 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the region called Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr area, and, with a 2009 population of 161,366, ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, produced one thousand swords a month, which have become collector's items and an impressive collection of these can be seen at the Gunnersbury Park Museum. There is also one on display at Warwick University.
The
Longford River
The Longford River is an artificial waterway, a distributary designed to embellish a park, that diverts water from the River Colne at Longford near Colnbrook in England, to Bushy Park and Hampton Court Palace. Its main outlet is to the reach ...
, which also flows through Bedfont, also dates from the reign of Charles I.
During the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
, when both the
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...
and
Parliamentary
A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democracy, democratic government, governance of a sovereign state, state (or subordinate entity) where the Executive (government), executive derives its democratic legitimacy ...
armies passed through Bedfont, the mill was taken by Parliamentary forces, and was converted to a
gunpowder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...
mill in 1654.
This converted mill was supplemented by new mills closer to Baber Bridge, in the area now known as Donkey Woods. The manufacture of gunpowder was a dangerous occupation and workers were killed or maimed in many explosions down the years, with the mills being demolished and rebuilt a number of times. The water-powered gunpowder mills continued to be used until 1926 when they were closed by the then owners,
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain.
It was formed by the merger of four leading British chemical companies in 1926.
Its headquarters were at M ...
.
After the railway heyday the twentieth century saw motor cars take en masse to the old arterial coaching route and so prompted the Great South West Road in 1925 skirting the bulk of Bedfont south of today's airport and much of Hounslow in a decade when the
Bath Road
The A4 is a major road in England from Central London to Avonmouth via Heathrow Airport, Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Bath, Somerset, Bath and Bristol. It is historically known as the Bath Road with newer sections including the Great West Road ...
, which branches off, was also improved.
Postwar development and the construction of Heathrow
By 1946 another form of transport began to impact on the village when
Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others be ...
opened and became the largest employer in the area, with the effect of increasing the demand for local housing. The
village of Heathrow was lost, as was some of the hamlet of
Hatton
Hatton may refer to:
Places Canada
* Hatton, Saskatchewan
England
* Hatton, Cheshire West and Chester, a former civil parish
* Hatton, Derbyshire
* Hatton, Lincolnshire
* Hatton, London, in the London Borough of Hounslow
* Hatton, Shropshire, a ...
. This sits beneath the airport's flight path, but The Green Man public house survives from around the 16th century together with a few period properties near the pub and
London Underground station on the edge of the airport.
Buildings of interest
;Pates and Fawns Manor Houses
Bedfont has the rare status for a metropolitan traditional area (an old parish) in the UK to have two surviving
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...
s: Pates, once owned by the Page family is behind the church, the oldest house in the Borough – one wing dates to the late 15th century. Fawns, on the south side of the Green, dates from the 16th century and was sold to the
British Airways
British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...
Housing Association in 1983 by
Derek Sherborn
Derek Ronald Sherborn (7 May 1924 – 4 July 2004) was a British conservationist and Principal Investigator of historic buildings for the Ministry of Town and Country Planning, who played a major role in the rescue of historical properties, making ...
of the family who had owned it from the 17th century.
;Inn and history of coaching inns
As population and coach services grew from the 17th to 18th centuries the number of inns in Bedfont grew to at least six. ''The Duke’s Head'' and ''The Bell'' were on Bedfont Green, and ''The Plough'', ''The Sun'', ''The White Horse'' and the ''Queen’s Head'' joined them in providing stabling and refreshments to the weary travellers and goods distributors on the road between London and much of Hampshire and the South West. The second-named is sole survivor, known as ''The Bell on the Green''.
;Parish church of St Mary
St Mary's church, the parish church of Bedfont, is of unknown foundation, although it retains its original Norman chancel and arch. There are wall paintings of Christ on the Cross and Christ in Glory, of about 1250 to the north of the arch. They were uncovered in 1865.
The church is famous for the two yew trees in the churchyard, which are referred to as the 'yew trees into peacocks shorn' in a poem by George Colman the Elder, a friend of the actor-manager David Garrick. They were also the subject of Thomas Hood's poem 'The Two Peacocks of Bedfont'. The local legend is that 'two over-bearing damsels . . dismissed a suitor with such contempt that in revenge he had the trees trimmed to typify them as two proud and haughty peacocks' and they were for two centuries the pride of the village. For a time they were not maintained but they were recreated in 1990 at the initiative of the Chairman of Princes Sporting Club (David Spyer) remembered in the early 50's when he first started waterskiing, being told about Hood's poem, much later on becoming interested in Topiary work he recalled the History of the trees and went to look at them, on discussion with the then Vicar he learnt that the local authority had given permission for them to be truncated, it was difficult to find anyone who could advise him on restoration of these trees, eventually he was advised of a Dutch Topiarist. Funds were raised from the local Bank and SGB supplied scaffolding and the Dutchmen came over and stayed with local parishioners, this happened over a three years until the trees began to take shape, they were then maintained by a local gardener, the dates '1704 – 1990' were then trained into the trees.
In 1829, the church was enlarged, and there is a plaque in the porch commemorating this. In 1865 the original wooden tower and spire were removed and the nave lengthened. A new tower, spire, porch, and chancel doorway were built. The tower clock is of uncertain date: it may have been installed to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee (1897) or King Edward VII's coronation (1902).
;Bypassing of the local roads
The building of the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
between London and
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
in 1841 marked the beginning of the end for the golden age of the
stagecoach
A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
, and by 1847 state and mail coaches had ceased to run to the west. The
Waterloo to Staines line opened in 1848. It skirts the far south-west of the parish. For a few decades this left the roads less used by long-distance traffic. After the motorway network was built, this situation resumed
;Other leisure and bars
Leisure clubs and private bars exist in Bedfont, one being the Bedfont Lane Community Association.
Sport
Captain Matthew Webb
Captain Matthew Webb (19 January 1848 – 24 July 1883) was an English swimmer and stuntman. He is the first recorded person to swim the English Channel for sport without the use of artificial aids. In 1875, Webb swam from Dover to Calais in l ...
, who was the first man to swim the English Channel (25 August 1875), lived in The Limes, New Road, Bedfont from 1880 until 1883 when he died attempting to swim the rapids below the
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...
.
Bedfont has three
Non-League football
Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...
teams :
*
Bedfont & Feltham F.C. play at The Orchard ground very close to the ground of Bedfont Sports and a former nursery of
Hugh Ronalds
Hugh Ronalds (4 March 1760 – 18 November 1833) was an esteemed nurseryman and horticulturalist in Brentford, who published ''Pyrus Malus Brentfordiensis: or, a Concise Description of Selected Apples'' (1831). His plants were some of the first E ...
'.
*
Bedfont Sports F.C.
Bedfont Sports Football Club is a football club based in Bedfont, Greater London, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Bedfont Recreation Ground.
History
The club was established in 2002 as a Saturday team for Bedfont Su ...
play at the Bedfont Sports Recreation Ground.
*
FC Deportivo Galicia
Football Club Deportivo Galicia is a football club based in London, England. They are currently members of the and play at the Bedfont Recreation Ground in Bedfont, groundsharing with Bedfont Sports.
History
The club was established in 1968 u ...
groundshare with Bedfont Sports F.C. at the Bedfont Sports Recreation Ground.
Demography and housing
Gallery
File:Burlington House, East Bedfont (geograph 2232333).jpg, Burlington House is one of the largest Georgian homes in the Conservation Area. A significant proportion of such homes in the London Commuter Belt
The London metropolitan area is the metropolitan area of London, England. It has several definitions, including the London Travel to Work Area, and usually consists of the London urban area, settlements that share London's infrastructure, and ...
have been converted into apartments.
File:East_Bedfont_The_War_Memorial_(geograph_2412044).jpg, Gable end
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
terraced housing with steep, tall hipped roof
A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope (although a tented roof by definition is a hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak). Thus, ...
s by the war memorial with tessellating paving, square green and trees in the background.
See also
References
{{LB Hounslow
Areas of London
Districts of the London Borough of Hounslow
Wards of the London Borough of Hounslow
Places formerly in Middlesex